SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CNS) -- Pete Palmere, 17, is not unaccustomed to challenges. As a child when his family vacationed at the beach, he created historic cities instead of the traditional sandcastle. By fourth grade he was playing the cello and became a gifted musician, performing in musical ensembles in his hometown of Davis and as a member of his high school orchestra and the Sacramento Youth Symphony. In March 2005, Palmere was diagnosed with leukemia. Earlier this year his doctors said the intensive chemotherapy he has undergone has not been successful and his only option is a bone marrow transplant. Family members are not a match, so the community started a donor registry drive to help him and others in need of a bone marrow transplant. The effort has resulted in 500 people being registered and a match found for Palmere, although plans for the transplant have not been finalized. Meanwhile, the youth has been hospitalized with a fever, a low white-blood cell count and a lung infection, and his family is asking for prayers that he'll come through his latest challenge.